Have just spent the last three hours watching the opening match at Wimbledon when Roger Federer faced a player I have never heard of, Falla, and we sat back and thought here we go three straight sets etc. Instead the Fed soon found himself two sets down and we began to think the unthinkable and when he was match point against him, the audience and me I can assure you, was screaming and yelling. Goes without saying that Rog went on to win in five sets much to my annoyance as I am not a huge fan. Used to be but when he walked onto Centre Court last year for the final wearing a blazer with the number 16 on it (the number of grand slam titles he would win if he defeated Roddick) before he had even hit a ball, I began to feel that his arrogance was perhaps overtaking his nice guy persona. In the final of the Australian open when he was up against Murray, he made sarcastic comments about how long it had been since a UK tennis player had won a grand slam which reinforced my growing irritation with his smugness.
Having said all of this, I do agree that he is a simply magnificent player: his final against Nadal in 2008 and then last year against Roddick at Wimbledon were simply stunning, but oh I would like to see him defeated now and then.
Watched Elena Baltcha, the British No 1 woman, playing well, she was serving for the match and I got up and made myself a cup of tea as I knew I would not be missing her victory as it is at this stage that all Brit players bottle it and lose and sure enough when I came back she had lost her serve, she then lost that set and then lost the match. Same old same old....
In case my readers think I am being pessimistic and downbeat please remember if you can, a time when we had a tennis player called Roger Taylor, great guy and three times he got through to the semi-finals at Wimbledon. Three times I queued all night to obtain a seat on the Centre Court. Three times he was two sets up and serving for the match and three times he went on to lose in the fifth set. So I have a noble track record of watching British tennis players bottling it. Pleased to see that this year Wimbledon have decided not to give a wild card to one of our players Bogdanovich. He is squealing and complaining about it but as he has received EIGHT in EIGHT years and has lost in the first round EIGHT times, I am totally in agreement with Wimbers here.
So another two weeks ahead of us of watching the ritual humiliation and post mortems when we are as crap as always. At least this year Murray has been playing so poorly nobody expects much of him, but as usual when I turned on the BBC there was Sue Barker discussing earnestly with Mac whether Murray could win Wimbledon, all the pressure he has to put up with, what does Mac think? I turned the sound off straight away. They could have just run the VCR of last year's identical conversation (and the previous two years as well) and spared Mac trying to be polite when all he really wants to say is 'You cannot be serious'.
If Mr Murray proves me wrong and wins then I will gladly eat humble pie but don't think it is going to happen.
And now to the World Cup where once again the English players, who perform with such skill and dedication and passion in the Premier League, demonstrate to us all once more that when they don the England shirt they turn into apathetic, useless, clueless, helpless and hopeless footballers. Before she went to Australia Kathryn said to me 'Oh mum you are so pessimistic. Try to be positive'. Well, I am positive. I was positive that they would be UTTERLY UTTERLY DIRE. They were and therefore, have fulfilled all my expectations. We now have to beat Slovenia on Wednesday in order to progress and, quite frankly, on the strength of what I have seen in the last two weeks, it will take a miracle. BUT, miracles happen and the scorn and vitriol that has been heaped upon them in the press just might make them ginger up a bit. Otherwise, they will need a police escort when they arrive home....
This time last year I was so delighted that I was retired and could sit and watch WImbledon and, once again, I feel the same way. Two weeks ahead of me of watching tennis and enjoying it, and I will despite the impression my wingeing might give, and no pressure to do anything else if I don't want to.
Glad it will take my mind off Kathryn being so far away. I am trying to get used to it, keep telling myself that she is only a little further away than Leeds and we email and text and talk as usual, but it hasn't worked so far. She seems to be doing well, has found a place to live, and will be starting her new job next Monday and is spending time exploring the city. Has already sent me pics of her at Bhondi Beach (where I used to live) and in front of the Opera House (ooh I turned pea green at that) and says she is so looking forward to me coming out next year. I can hardly wait to return to Australia and Sydney and see it all again. In the meantime I am seeing my darling Florence each week and her smiles and gurgles when I arrive lift the heart and fill me with joy.
Piles of books arrived in the last few days as well so lots of good reading lined up and reviewing to do so really I am very blessed and nothing to complain about.
